Huntington Under 5's Preschool

A village-hall preschool with a water wall, a Lending Library and a sponsored Wiggle and Waddle week: Huntington Under 5's Preschool makes a clear case for learning through play and family involvement. Its home is Huntington Village Hall in Chester, and it has capacity for 24 children in total. A volunteer committee oversees the charity, with fundraising helping to buy resources as well as sustain its work.

At its September 2024 inspection, Ofsted judged the preschool Good overall and found safeguarding effective, with positive findings on children's progress, support for SEND and relationships with parents. There were also three clear priorities: involving children more consistently in routines, improving participation during group activities and teaching online safety.

Attendance is term-time, with morning, afternoon and full-day choices. That makes the preschool a practical proposition for families combining shorter sessions with days that include lunch.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the framework for learning through play across seven areas of development. Here, key workers use children's interests alongside termly themes to plan activities, then observe their key children in small groups and decide what to build on next. The practical value is continuity: planning starts with what an individual child can already do, rather than treating the group as a single starting point.

Yoga, gardening and a loose parts station add concrete experiences to that approach. The station gives children materials for imaginative play, with language and mathematical learning built into the activity. These additions sit alongside the EYFS; they give children different ways to explore ideas, move and communicate.

Books and conversation carry much of the day. Familiar core books are revisited, while circle times give children opportunities to discuss stories, listen and answer questions. Singing and exchanges with adults also support language development. For a child still finding the words to express an idea, there are several ways into a conversation.

In September 2024, children chose between indoor and outdoor activities, and areas within the hall encouraged interaction. Songs involved actions as well as words, while shared reading introduced vocabulary. These were everyday experiences rather than separate lessons, connecting communication with play and social contact.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children use the indoor and outdoor areas daily. Movement is part of the curriculum, including the Wiggle and Waddle sponsor week, which gives children opportunities to practise coordination and control. Fundraising from a sponsored Wiggle and Waddle event paid for an outdoor water wall. It is a tangible connection between family participation and the equipment children use.

The Lending Library keeps books by the front doors for families to borrow and share at home. Key workers can also provide home-learning resources, including books, flashcards, phonics materials, maths sheets and activities about emotions. This gives parents a concrete way to continue familiar learning beyond a session.

Discos, quiz nights, raffles and a Fun Day form part of the charity's fundraising activities across the year. Families can contribute ideas or join the fundraising team, while volunteers can help with gardening, baking, reading or play. Participation has several forms, allowing parents to contribute through an activity that fits their interests.

Relationships and Communication

A key worker gets to know each child and their family, and settling arrangements are adapted to individual needs. That matters when children respond differently to separation or need different kinds of encouragement: the starting point is the child, rather than one fixed settling sequence.

In September 2024, staff used comforting words and physical reassurance as children settled. Mealtimes also gave adults opportunities to learn about children's home lives. Parents' evenings and stay-and-play sessions provided further contact between families and staff, alongside communication about children's development.

School preparation includes transition meetings, information sharing with local schools and parents' involvement. In September 2024, visiting teachers met children and learned about their development; children explored photographs of their next schools and tried on uniform. These activities make an unfamiliar next step more concrete, without implying an admissions advantage.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

The team includes a SENDCO role and an ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) lead. Wellcomm training supports assessment of possible speech and language difficulties, and staff also have training to support children learning English as an additional language. These are useful mechanisms for identifying needs and shaping support, rather than a blanket promise about outcomes.

Targeted interventions sit alongside activities adapted to children's starting points. Work on feelings, self-expression and independence is also part of the curriculum. In September 2024, children practised everyday tasks such as handwashing and opening their lunches, and used mirrors to explore similarities and differences. Parents also shared aspects of their cultural heritage through food and clothing.

Staff hold paediatric first aid qualifications and undertake training in safeguarding, health and safety, and food hygiene. Volunteers must complete a DBS check. These are arrangements supporting care; the dated inspection judgement remains the basis for the safeguarding assessment.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Huntington Village Hall, Butterbache Road, Huntington, Chester, CH3 6DB. Opening hours are 8.30am to 3pm, Monday to Friday during term time.

The morning session runs from 9am to noon, or from 9am to 1pm when lunch is included in the session's duration; afternoons run from noon to 3pm, and a full day is 9am to 3pm. Early drop-off covers 8.30am to 9am. Families can combine mornings, mornings extending through lunch, afternoons and full days, making the attendance pattern more adaptable than a single day-length option.

Enquiries can be made through the contact form or by telephone on 07503 779 834. Joining documents include a registration form, an All about me document and a parent handbook, bringing personal information about the child into the joining process.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for children aged two, three and four, with universal and working-parent entitlements described within the term-time provision. Private sessions and a separately priced early drop-off are also offered; a sibling discount applies to families with siblings. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation, with the attendance choices outlined on its fees and funding page.

Parents supply packed lunches; a morning snack is provided with milk or water, and drinking water remains accessible during the day. The preschool asks families to exclude nuts from lunches and to discuss dietary changes or intolerances with management.

• Participation in routines. September 2024 findings identified inconsistent involvement in tidying and unclear expectations during group activities. On a visit, ask how staff now bring children into these shared parts of the day.
• Online safety. Teaching children how to respond to risks online was another September 2024 improvement priority. This safety topic deserves attention alongside the preschool's emphasis on independence.
• Lunch and allergies. Lunch comes from home, and the preschool asks families to exclude nuts. Families affected by allergies should confirm current food-handling practice before joining.
• The funded-session quotation. Funded and private attendance sit alongside separately priced early drop-off. Ask for a written breakdown covering your chosen pattern, snacks and non-food consumables so the total arrangement is clear.

Huntington Under 5's Preschool suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those who want full days within a shorter preschool day. The water wall, borrowing books and family fundraising give its play-based offer a recognisable character. Individual planning and transition work add practical substance.

The Good judgement provides a positive dated assessment, but participation in routines, group engagement and online safety deserve attention when choosing. For parents who value a village-hall preschool with several attendance patterns and opportunities to take part, there is plenty here to weigh.